It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Welcome to our home, all decorated for Christmas!

I made this wreath last year out of the deco mesh that was everywhere.  Our front door is orange, so I added teal ornaments to make it work better with the red and green.  For most holidays, I made huge wreaths to fit around the monogram I keep on the door.  This year I added the burlap ribbon with little red jingle bells.  I love it!

Our Christmas tree is covered in vintage and retro ornaments.  

 I found this vintage wooden bead garland at an antique store in town a few years ago.  The ornament is also a vintage find.  

I love these ornaments with indentations.  I have a set of new Shiny Brite ones.

This is a vintage ornament from my mother-in-law.

This is part of another set of Shiny Brite ornaments.  Each one is a different, bright color with a different flocked scene on it.  I think these are my favorites.

On top of my china cabinet, I set up a scene of little Putz houses with bottle brush trees.  I am crazy for this type of thing!

My mom got me these Fiesta Christmas plates last year to coordinate with my regular Fiesta dishes.  The ornaments are all different colors so they go with all of my multi-colored plates and serving pieces.

These vintage Santa mugs are also from my mother-in-law.  I trade out the Fiesta in my two display cabinets for all of my red and green pieces.  :)

The guest room gets fun pink trees!

I added Christmas books to the coffee table and a few vintage ornaments to my little Arkansas dish.

I love getting out my Christmas candles.  Frasier fir is my all-time favorite.  That little Christmas tree is another gift from my mother-in-law...it comes apart and the top is a lighter while each layer of limbs is an ashtray!  I love things like this that are so adorable and such neat reminds of the way things used to be.

The mantel decor is simple.  I got cardboard letters from Hobby Lobby and covered them with German glass glitter.  I surrounded them with evergreen garland and huge colored lights.  They're my favorite part of any Christmas decor.

My stocking was made by my grandmother for me when I was a baby.  I made James's the Christmas before we got married.  I can't imagine Christmas without my stocking and luckily James did not have one he was attached to, so ours get to match.  I made one for my sister's husband when they were married, and last year I made one for my niece.  Hopefully one day I'll be making matching ones for my kids. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Five on Friday

I'm trying a little something new today and joining this "5 on Friday" link-up.  
Click the logo below and join me!

1.  Florida

A few weekends ago, James and I hitched a ride with my parents to visit my Gram and Mim in Florida.  It was a short weekend (we weren't able to leave until Friday morning and had to be back at work on Tuesday), but it was very nice.  I love looking at the beach...but I much prefer spending my time by the pool.  Never a long enough trip, but it was so nice to see my family and get some time to relax.

2.  Dark & Stormy

I love the Lilly print "Dark and Stormy," but I never knew it was a cocktail!  There was one on the menu at the resort bar in Florida, so I gave it a try.  Rum cocktails are usually my favorite and I am a huge fan of ginger and lime, so this was a no-brainer for me.  It was fantastic!  Definitely something I'd like to try making at home.  Simple and delicious.

3.  Smocking

I have been really interested in smocking for several years.  My mom did a little bit of smocking for my sister and I when we were babies and I think I would love it.  The pleating equipment is fairly expensive (my mom got rid of hers years ago), but I am picky about fabrics so I'm not sure I would want to buy premade dresses to smock.  Have any of you tried it?  Any recommendations?  Any great sources for pre-pleated items that you've found?

4.  My Old Room

My mom has been in the process of redoing my old bedroom at their house.  (I lived there 7th grade through graduation).  It's a terrible cell phone photo, but isn't the room beautiful?  She isn't happy with the wall color, but I think it is perfect with the blue and white (and I love how it matches the monogram on the pillow and scalloped trim of the sheets).  My favorite part is the little oil painting (above the nightstand) that my dad bought.

5.  Scotch Naturals "The Southern Charmer"

I am kind of a nail polish junkie.  I love the bright, fun colors but I tend to stick to nudes because of my job.  I also don't usually have time to re-do polish during the week if it chips, so this makes it less noticeable.   So of course when I saw a snippet in an issue of Southern Living several months ago about this special collaboration they had done with Scotch Naturals for the perfect southern polish color, I snapped it up!  I love the way it looks in this photo, but I'm not sure I'm totally sold on it yet.  I know Scotch Naturals formulas are healthy and eco-friendly, but that (to me) came at the cost of a smooth formula.  The color was a little more apricot than pink, which isn't exactly what I was looking for, either.  I'll give it another shot in a few months and hope that I like the color better with my fall wardrobe than with my spring/summer one.